How I Got Here

When I was 7, I couldn’t wait to be 13 so I would be a teenager, then I couldn’t wait to be 17 so I could drive, and then 21 so I could drink, and then to be done with college and then to be out on my own. Looking back now, I always “couldn’t wait” to be something I wasn’t yet.

And then I got caught up in everything that being an adult brings – job, dating, marriage, paying bills, friendships coming and going, relationships ending, worrying how to pay the bills, worrying about my friends, and worrying how I look, and never once considering how I felt – just moving through life as everyone does, not paying much attention.

Then, one day I woke up and I was 40 and wondered how I got here. I looked in the mirror and realized I had no idea who that old person with the wrinkles, sagging skin and the achy joints was.

The next 10 years brought on changes that I didn’t expect – weight gain, brain fog, fat thighs and ass and not being able to sleep. I didn’t expect to be uncomfortable when I ate some of my favorite foods and I certainly didn’t expect to become a wrinkled and sagging mess.

I swear I was living in someone else’s body.

I have been in the wellness industry since the early 2000’s. I owned my own business as a personal chef, I have a background in nutrition, I was a hard-core, balls-to-the-walls personal trainer, and a health coach. Back then I knew exactly what to do to lose weight and sculpt bodies.

But then, 50 happened and nothing I knew worked. My hardcore workouts that left me sweating and gasping for breath with an endorphin rush and a drop in weight weren’t working anymore and I kept on gaining weight.

So, I started doing what everyone else in my position does – what everyone else is doing that’s working for them. I tried the pills, the powders, the latest diet trend, and pre-packaged weight loss programs. I ate more protein, less carbohydrates, more fat, and tried keto, paleo, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan and everything else that was working for everybody else. Some of the diets worked, but they were all short term, and the pills, powders, elixirs and pre-packaged programs started getting expensive, once I stopped using them due to finances, I just gained back all the weight and felt like crap, like a failure.

I was miserable and unhappy and knew there had to be a better way.

Then I went back to my roots and what I learned in nutrition school – bio-individuality.

We are all different, we have our own DNA and our own pasts. We have eaten different foods, made different lifestyle choices and grew up in different environments. Some of us smoked, drank, did drugs, ate junk food, ran track, played soccer, some grew up hiking the concrete jungle and other grew up hiking the woods of Shenandoah. All of these things make our bodies uniquely yours, and also makes them function differently – this is bio-individuality - and I had to find what was going to make mine feel good again.

I started listening to my body and removing foods that made me feel like crap (unfortunately, this included some of my favorites). I did the research and found that my hardcore workouts just weren’t healthy for my post-menopausal body, and I found that the stress that I had in my life was debilitating and actually making me physically sick.

I started nourishing my body to help it thrive, I started moving it in ways that make me feel good (I wouldn’t have been caught dead doing yoga when I was 35, now power yoga is my favorite), and I learned to manage my stress (while I don’t say om, I do have a mantra).

I don’t count calories or weigh food or worry about eating a certain number of carbs to fat to protein each day. I don’t take powders or elixirs that cost a fortune. And I don’t try to fit myself into someone else’s diet box.

And, today, as I sit here, I lost the excess weight that made me feel so uncomfortable, brain fog is a thing of the past, my joints don’t ache anymore, my gut likes the foods I eat, and my skin looks pretty amazing if I do say so myself. I have energy and I finally, after almost 20 years, feel good in my body.

Those pre-packaged diets, powders, elixirs, pills and potions may work in the short term, but they’re not sustainable for the long term.

We need to train our mindset from short term “dieting” to long term lifestyle changes.

I created something for myself that works FOR ME, that is sustainable and affordable, but it won’t work for you. It’s based on my DNA, my genetics, my history, the foods I ate, and lifestyle choices I made. It’s something that I can do forever, and it’s become pretty damn easy.

I've spent the last few months going back to my roots of helping people create a sustainable lifestyle that works for them, that helps them feel good in their skin and helps them thrive. They're losing weight, getting off medication, sleeping fitfully, wearing clothes they haven't been able to fit into in years and they look years younger.

I can help you find what works for you based on your DNA, genetics, history, food, and lifestyle choices so you can feel awesome in your own skin. Click here to schedule a call today!